Thanks For The Memories
by slytherinshadowhunter67
Summary: "Whoever you are that messed with my brain, thanks for the memories," Percy thought sarcastically. Sequel to The Price (sort of).
1. Thanks For The Memories

**Hey! This is a sort-of sequel to the last chapter of my other story, The Price, so if you haven't read that, you should check it out! (Although you don't really need to have read that to read this. All you need to know is: Percy and Annabeth were dead. Hooray!) But anyway, without further ado:**

Warmth. That was the first thing he was aware of; it was something luxurious, a pleasant feeling that slowly spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He peeled his eyes open and blinked, taking a moment to adjust to the bright light. As he squinted up at the light blue color spread out above him, a single word slammed into his brain: _sky_.

And, with it, another word: _sunlight_.

Instinctively, he sat up, and then he beheld the angel by his side, with curly blonde hair and gray eyes that were blinking at him.

Another word: _Annabeth._ And with this word came memories: of underwater kisses, of laughing together, of her kisses and her judo flips, and of a thousand other things besides, but the strange thing about these memories was that this angel—Annabeth—was the only other thing in them. He struggled to recall the places these memories had been made in, but he couldn't remember anything besides…Annabeth. Not that he disliked remembering Annabeth, but it was annoying to not remember anything else.

He sighed internally. _Whoever you are that messed with my brain, thanks for the memories_ , he thought sarcastically.

That was when Annabeth spoke. "Percy?"

Five letters only, but as they reached his ear they became a kaleidoscope of swirling sounds and sights and thoughts; a thousand times people had called his name—and he blinked. Between one moment and the next, he remembered, oh—I'm Percy.

Percy said, "Annabeth?"

A slow expression of confusion spread across her face. "What—where are we? Why can't I remember anything?"

A shadow of thought crossed Percy's mind, almost as if he had heard, or even spoken, those words before, but the flash of remembrance passed as quickly as it had come, and he shook his head. "I don't know. Well, I remember you, but not much else. Wise Girl," he added, smirking.

Annabeth smiled at him; Percy remembered a thousand other times she had done that very thing. "That's my Seaweed Brain."

Disoriented by the flood of memories that were threatening to overwhelm him, Percy smiled back, but stood up, looking around. Trees, grasses, clouds—everything felt new to him. "Where are we?"

Annabeth smacked him upside the head, something he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with. "I just asked that, Seaweed Brain."

Percy shrugged. "It was a good question. Seriously, though…" He scanned his surroundings. The two of them were in a grassy clearing, dotted with trees and domed in all around by a clear blue sky. It looked like something out of a postcard, but all Percy wanted to do was get out of said postcard.

Annabeth was shaking her head anxiously when he looked back at her. "I have no idea where we are. We could be _anywhere_."

Percy shrugged, again. "Well, there's only one way to find out." Determinedly, he began striding toward the trees.

At least, he was, until something jumped out at him.

 **Review, pretty please?**

 **PS: I bet Percy's subconscious is like, NOT THE AMNESIA AGAIN! xD**


	2. A Logical Explanation

**Wow. I'm overwhelmed by all the favs and follows already! I see you guys, and especially the reviewers—you guys rock!**

 **OK, I don't own the characters or anything and the cover picture belongs to the wonderful Viria. Let's do this thing!**

 **PS: If anything is not in line with stuff that happened in The Price, sorry! I'm inconsistent.**

Nico pushed his food around his plate, watching the other campers eat. It had been almost a week since what remained of the Seven had returned from their battle, and it felt like everyone was still waiting for Percy and Annabeth to come back.

Nico didn't like that feeling.

Everyone felt the effects of the two heroes' absence, but the Athena cabin was taking it especially hard. Occasionally one of the younger girls would burst into tears, and Malcolm, who was now the cabin counsellor, had red eyes and a haggard look about him most of the time. Normally someone, probably from the Ares cabin, would have teased him about it, but no one had the heart to.

Nico could tell that most people didn't really have the heart to do much these days.

Gloomily, he stared down at the mess he had made on his plate, but it wasn't as if he was going to eat it. He didn't eat much normally, and with the Athena cabin and their clear distress in full sight of him, he didn't feel like eating at all. But then again, Nico could count on one hand the number of times he had eaten since the battle. Sometimes the younger children of Athena would start screaming in their sleep, and they brought about nightmares that Nico was better off without. Not that the _look_ on Malcolm's face when he'd found out had helped much with said nightmares.

Nico sighed and stood up. Most people had already left the mess hall anyway, so he decided to take a walk. Maybe some fresh air would clear his pounding headache, left over from his fitful sleep the night before.

The air was cool and clear outside, and Nico took deep breaths, letting the invigorating air rush through his lungs. As he walked, he felt some of the stress from the last few days evaporate…but oxygen, no matter how fresh, couldn't do more than dull the residual ache that was Percy and Annabeth's absence.

Almost out of habit, Nico concentrated on his memories of them, and pictured them standing together in front of him, laughing. With their images firmly in mind, he listened for the buzzing in his ears that would tell him they were still in Elysium. It always came to him when he concentrated, meaning that they were dead.

The buzzing didn't come.

Nico's eyes flew open. Panicked, he willed his brain to focus, and imagined Percy's laugh and Annabeth's death glare as he tried sensing them again. But instead of the familiar buzzing in his ears, there was…nothing?

He tried again and again, but aside from the twitter of birds in the trees, and the faint sounds of demigods yelling, it was silent. Nico willed his racing heart to calm down as he stood in the middle of the forest and tried to think logically, the way Annabeth would—not that he needed any kind of logic, because there was only one obvious conclusion.

The fact that there was no buzz in his ears could mean but one thing, and though Nico didn't know how in the Hades it was possible, he had to try and wrap his mind around the idea that…Percy and Annabeth were alive?

He had to go find Hazel.

Hazel had yet to return to Camp Jupiter—along with Frank and Jason, she had decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood and get to know the Greeks, and their camp, a bit better. Piper and Leo had been more than happy to have their friends there, and Hazel thought the Greeks' camp was surprisingly awesome. There was something free and unstructured about it, so unlike the rigidity of Camp Jupiter.

She was reclining on her bed (the top bunk; the bottom was Nico's), relaxing after a strenuous training session with Jason, when the door slammed open and Nico came rushing in, his eyes wild. "Hazel," he panted, looking as if he'd run across the camp to get here.

"Nico?" Hazel sat up, frowning down at her brother. "What is it?"

Nico shook his head like a dog, clearly trying to catch his breath. "I—I was trying to sense Percy and Annabeth in Elysium, but then I couldn't. I checked a million times, but it didn't work."

Hazel gasped a little, one hand instinctively going up to cover her mouth. "But can't you usually sense them?" Though he wouldn't admit it, she knew Nico had tried to find out how Percy and Annabeth were at regular intervals since the battle. Then the real implications of what Nico had said struck her, and Hazel felt her mouth drop open farther. "But doesn't that mean—"

Nico nodded, and Hazel felt her stomach drop into her feet as her brother said solemnly, "It looks like they're not in Elysium anymore."

"What does that even mean? How could they be out? Has anyone ever escaped? But why _would_ anyone escape?" A barrage of questions spilled out of Hazel's mouth before she could stop them, a thousand more racing through her head, but Nico just shook his head again, holding up a hand for her to stop as he slowly walked toward the bunk bed. His face was a mask of calm Hazel knew he didn't feel.

"I have no idea what this means," he confessed wearily, and she felt a pang of sadness. Nico didn't deserve to feel so burdened, but he looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders as he continued, "I've never heard of something like this happening before. Unless, of course, Annabeth and Percy tried for rebirth, but somehow I don't think they did. But it doesn't make _sense_ that way. I—"

"Nico," Hazel interrupted as she climbed off her bunk and landed lightly on the floor. "You don't have to have it all figured out right now. We'll think of something; I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this."

Nico still looked worried, but his expression had eased a bit. "Thanks, Hazel," he said sincerely.

Hazel smiled. "You don't need to thank me; you shouldn't have to deal with this by yourself. We'll find out what happened to Percy and Annabeth," she promised.

Nico looked relieved, but Hazel's smile faded slightly as she realized that she had no way of guaranteeing the promise she'd just made. For all she knew, they could be—

She pushed her morbid thoughts away and started toward the door. She'd figure this all out later; right now, she had things to do.

 **Review? :)**


	3. Figure it Out Together

**You guys are amazing :3**

Percy jumped back, eyes wide with shock, as what looked like a giant scorpion scuttled toward him. He could have sworn that it personally hated him, from the look it gave him with fiery black eyes.

"Uh, Annabeth, what am I supposed to do…?" Percy yelped and dodged as the scorpion lashed at him with its barbed, and probably venomous from the looks of it, black tail.

Annabeth gave a sigh, as if she knew something he didn't. Which, knowing her, was probable. "Have you checked your pockets?"

"What—" It was only then that Percy became aware of something hard in his pocket; pulling it out, he saw that it was a familiar ballpoint pen, and memories overcame him for a moment. This was Anaklusmos, otherwise known as Riptide. His sword.

Uncapping the pen, he watched as it sprang into a Celestial Bronze sword. The scorpion, who seemed to be waiting for him to make the next move, hissed angrily and retreated slightly with a chatter of teeth, but lunged for him a few moments later. Apparently it was taking its chances. Before Percy was fully aware of what he was doing, he ducked, twisting, and brought Riptide up to cut off the end of the scorpion's tail with a flourish. Percy backed up with a gasp, suddenly wary of his own abilities. Frustratingly, he couldn't remember how he'd learned them, or who had taught them to him, but at least he knew his way around his sword. If he hadn't, he'd be shish kebab.

The scorpion looked angry now, pincers snapping, but Annabeth, who had somehow snuck up on it from behind without Percy seeing her, yelled, "Hey, lobster face!" The monster turned with a snarl, leaving him ample opportunity to leap up on its back and stab deep into its chest.

Freezing, the scorpion collapsed and went limp; Percy leaped off in time to see it explode into pieces of dust.

For a moment he and Annabeth just stared at it, until he said, "It's like we've fought together before…haven't we?"

"Of course we have, Seaweed Brain." Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared at the place where the scorpion had been moments ago. "I remember that much. Don't you?"

Percy searched through the seemingly random collection of memories floating around his brain, and found that he did indeed remember fights with Annabeth: staring down three scorpions much like the one he'd just faced, looking incredulously at a huge, one-eyed creature Percy inexplicably knew was called a Cyclops, and, among other things, training in a circular arena. He tried to look past the walls of the arena in the mental image, but everything faded into a blur. He couldn't remember _anything_ , and he was finding it a bit scary. Also annoying. Wryly he wondered to himself if this kind of thing had happened to him before. He wouldn't know.

"What?" Annabeth was looking at him curiously, and Percy realized he must have voiced his thought aloud.

"Nothing," he said awkwardly. "So what are we going to do now?" he offered, trying to change the topic.

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but clearly thought better of it. All she said was, "We're going to have to figure out a way out of here. There's got to be family and friends looking for us…"

Her voice trailed off, and Percy understood what she didn't want to say: Neither of them had any idea where these family and friends might be, or even who they might be. If they existed at all.

But he would rather not think about that. "Let's think," Percy suggested.

Annabeth looked mockingly incredulous. "Did Perseus Jackson just say 'let's _think_ '? Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?"

Ignoring the jibe, Percy blinked, just now remembering that Annabeth Chase was, actually, his girlfriend. "We were going to start a future together," he blurted out as he remembered something. "And go to college together, with our friends. In—"

But his voice faltered, because he had drawn a giant blank. He could remember Annabeth promising him, with laughter in her eyes, that they could have a life together, and go to college together, away from the danger. The only thing was—Percy couldn't remember what that danger was, or where the college they would have gone to was, or the friends he was sure had been waiting. Were they still waiting? How long had it been since he and Annabeth had been amnesiacs?

Annabeth said gently, "Percy, don't dwell on the past." She took his hand, the gentle pressure reassuring, and familiar. She had done it before, he knew. "I can't remember anything, either. We'll figure something out together."

Percy managed a smile at her. "I know we will."

 **REVIEW GUYS IT MAKES ME HAPPY :D Also it makes me update faster. You know, just a thought.**

 **By the way, I know nothing much has happened yet, but next chapter, things get exciting :) At least, I hope so.**


	4. Callings and Confusions

**Hey, it's me again! Just a note, I'm leaving tomorrow to go to New York, and I'll be on vacation for most of August. I'll try to update—emphasis on try—but don't worry, I won't abandon this.**

Poseidon could tell that there was something different. He just wasn't sure what it was.

The entire day, he had felt more content than he usually did, as if some great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He took the time to calm some raging seas, helped a boat cross a particularly turbulent area, and watched a mortal cruise slowly journey across the Mediterranean. He hadn't felt like doing any of these in what felt like eons, but for some odd reason, Poseidon felt perfectly alright with the world today.

Even the fact that Hades had called an emergency meeting of the Olympic council couldn't bother him. He flashed to the throne room humming an annoying-but-catchy mortal song, settling into his throne with a relieved sigh. "So, brother, what brings us here?" he asked once all twelve gods were present.

Hades looked as grumpy as ever, but there was an air of anxiety about him as he replied, "I have distressing news from the Fates."

The gods murmured amongst themselves; the Fates were more powerful than even Zeus himself, and they had powers the gods didn't. Understandably, the Olympians were wary of them. "Well, what is it?" Zeus asked, slightly nervously.

Hades rubbed his temple wearily. "It seems that they have decided to bring two souls back to life, with very, very limited memories. Normally I should be able to prevent this, but I do not think I should. The Fates' reasons are sound. And besides, I could not act against them even if I wanted to."

Athena leaned forward from her throne, her braid swinging from its place over her shoulder. "Who are these two souls?" she asked cautiously.

Hades sighed. "Perseus and Annabeth."

In that second, Poseidon's world flipped upside-down.

" _What?!"_ the gods cried as one.

"My OTP?" Aphrodite gasped—again with that ridiculousness.

"The punk came back to life?" Ares growled.

"My daughter!" Athena gasped, her eyes shining.

Poseidon sat numb on his throne. "Percy," he whispered hoarsely. He had grieved his son for what felt like years, and now to be told that he was no longer dead, after all? It was almost too much to take in.

Zeus coughed loudly over the mayhem, and eventually the gods subsided. "Thank you. Now, Hades, do you know where they are now?"

Hades shrugged. "Yes, but no."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Poseidon found his voice, and with it a sense of overwhelming happiness. His son! Percy was alive!

Hades leaned back against his throne, closing his eyes as if wanting to flash away from the gods' inquisitive eyes. "The demigods are in a grassy clearing, though I know not where. Places like that are ubiquitous around the world."

Athena snapped, "We have to find my daughter!"

"And we will, Athena," Zeus said, who (surprisingly) seemed to be acting as the voice of reason. "But how?"

"Iris," Demeter said, who so far had been quiet. "She can find them."

"Yes," Athena said, her eyes alight. "It is well within her powers. Call on her, Father."

"You called him Percy," Poseidon said unthinkingly. It was the first time he'd ever heard the goddess do so. It was always 'sea spawn' this and 'Perseus' that.

Athena shot him a glare. "Yes, I did. Now, Father…"

"Yes, yes." Zeus closed his eyes briefly. "Iris!"

There was a brilliant flash of golden light, and in seconds the messenger goddess had appeared in the center of the throne room. She looked slightly annoyed to be bothered, but all she said was, "Lord Zeus. You called?"

Poseidon cut in, unable to resist the urge to find his son. "Iris, do you know where Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are?"

Iris didn't even blink. "I do."

"Can you bring them here?" he asked hopefully.

Iris regarded him with glowing eyes, which shifted colors so quickly that Poseidon began to get dizzy. "You may regret it, my lord."

"That remains to be seen," Athena said from her throne. "Bring them here."

"As you wish, my lady." Iris bowed her head and flashed out. When the light faded, two familiar demigods were lying on the floor.

The gods present let out various gasps and exclamations at this sight, but Poseidon said nothing. He was wholly fixated on his son, who looked the same as he had before. The same messy black hair, the same body…

He sat up, frowning, and Poseidon made to jump off his throne. "Percy?" he said, his voice cracking, love and hope warring in his tone.

Percy shook his head slowly as Annabeth rose to her feet, Percy following suit. "Who _are_ you?" he demanded.

 **Yes, I'm going to end this here. Please review, it makes me happy!**


	5. Limited Memories'

**And I'm back! Sorry this took so long, vacation got in the way :) It was really fun, but I didn't have time to update. I promise I won't take so long next time, though.**

 **Last chapter:**

 _Poseidon cut in, unable to resist the urge to find his son. "Iris, do you know where Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are?"_

 _Iris didn't even blink. "I do."_

 _"_ _Can you bring them here?" he asked hopefully._

 _Iris regarded him with glowing eyes, which shifted colors so quickly that Poseidon began to get dizzy. "You may regret it, my lord."_

 _"_ _That remains to be seen," Athena said from her throne. "Bring them here."_

 _"_ _As you wish, my lady." Iris bowed her head and flashed out. When the light faded, two familiar demigods were lying on the floor._

 _The gods present let out various gasps and exclamations at this sight, but Poseidon said nothing. He was wholly fixated on his son, who looked the same as he had before. The same messy black hair, the same body…_

 _He sat up, frowning, and Poseidon made to jump off his throne. "Percy?" he said, his voice cracking, love and hope warring in his tone._

 _Percy shook his head slowly as Annabeth rose to her feet, Percy following suit. "Who are you?" he demanded._

Poseidon felt his heart shatter. He should have _known_ that this was too good to be true. Hades had even said it, 'limited memories', but he had been too caught up in hoping that he could see Percy again to care. Iris had told him he might regret it, and, too late, he saw why.

"Who are you people?" Percy said again, warily. "Where am I _now_?" The last word he said with great irony, since this was clearly not the first time he'd found himself in an unfamiliar place in recent memory.

Annabeth took his hand and squeezed it gently, murmuring something to him. He relaxed slightly, but still looked around cautiously at the assembled Olympians, most of whom were staring at the pair in shock.

Poseidon was finally the one who spoke. "You don't…remember me?"

Percy turned to face him. He still had those bright sea-green eyes, and his face was so similar it took Poseidon's breath away. But his son simply said, "Am I supposed to?"

Poseidon shook his head slowly, even though his mind was screaming, _Yes, yes, Percy, I'm your father, your father who loves you and grieved for you and now you're alive, but you don't remember me…!_

He kept silent.

x

Athena sat very still in her throne, watching her daughter. Annabeth still had the gray eyes trademark to all her children, and the same blonde curls; she looked exactly the way she had before, except for the expression of thinly-veiled confusion and cautiousness as she looked around at the gods. The old Annabeth would have known who they were. But the new Annabeth didn't.

Athena had noticed what Hades had said, when he had mentioned 'limited memories', but she had chosen to hope he had been mistaken. It happened. But no, it was true, and Iris had been in fact correct—Annabeth was wholly different. She clearly remembered nothing.

Except for Percy.

Athena closed her eyes, as if willing herself to escape the nightmare she had been dragged into.

x

Percy was sick and tired of the amnesia. First he'd woken up in that clearing with Annabeth, and now they were stuck in some palace, surrounded by a bunch of adults on thrones who looked horrified by the very sight of them. What, did Percy have broccoli in his teeth or something?

"Percy." The man in the middle of the room, sitting on the most ornate throne, looked shellshocked.

"How do you know my name?" Percy demanded.

"Ah…" The man looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I know you, you see."

"Yeah, well, I don't know _you_."

Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand again, and though the gesture was comforting, it was also meant as a warning, and he calmed down slightly.

"Can we bring back their memories?" This was from a woman with gray eyes that reminded Percy of Annabeth's—he was familiar with the piercing way they looked at him.

The man who had addressed Percy earlier, who had seemed so heartbroken about his amnesia, said desperately, "Why _don't_ they have their memories? Why couldn't the Fates bring them back with everything intact—"

"Poseidon," a different man interrupted. Something tugged at the back of Percy's skull, almost like a magnet trying to pull out an old memory. The name was familiar, like he'd heard it a thousand times.

"There are certain…rules," the other man continued, and Percy finally got a good look at him. He was wearing black robes that swished as he gestured languidly with one hand, silver rings glittering on his fingers. The expression on his face was one of remote disdain. "The Fates have already risked my wrath by bringing these two back from, ah, my domain. I am quite, quite sure you would agree that this is cruel enough to satisfy me." He smiled coldly at Poseidon. "With their amnesia, I will allow them to live."

"Wait, wait, _wait,_ " Percy said, the words spilling out of his mouth unintentionally. Thirteen pairs of eyes swiveled to look at him, and he flushed slightly, but pushed on. "What do you mean, Annabeth and I were brought back from 'your domain'? Who are the Fates?"

"Hades," Poseidon said, his voice still desperate. The other gods looked like they were watching their favorite TV sitcom, leaning in to watch the ongoing drama. Percy noticed distantly that the woman in flowing pink clothes was biting her nails.

Hades' eyes were fixed on Percy, and a look of dark satisfaction spread across his face. "The Fates," he said slowly. "Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. The spinners, measurers and enders of life, respectively."

"And your domain?" Annabeth's voice was steely. Percy had no idea how she managed it; he was personally freaked out by the way Hades spoke. It was like everything in the world got a little bit darker with every word he said.

"Well, if you were being polite," Hades said with false affability, "you could say that my domain is death."

 **Dark Hades is actually really really fun to write. Anyway, please review, reviews are like love! :)**

 **PS: The chapter title, as well as what Athena and Poseidon mentally mention, comes from something Hades said last chapter. Just an FYI.**


	6. Olympian - Athletes?

**I'm so sorry for how late this chapter is! I started writing this almost as soon as I posted last chapter, but I didn't get around to finishing it until now. xD**

 **Anyway, a little recap from last chapter:**

 _"And your domain?" Annabeth's voice was steely. Percy had no idea how she managed it; he was personally freaked out by the way Hades spoke. It was like everything in the world got a little bit darker with every word he said._

 _"Well, if you were being polite," Hades said with false affability, "you could say that my domain is death."_

"Are you saying that we were brought back…?" Annabeth trailed off, unable to even contemplate the thought.

The woman with her eyes answered, "From the dead."

"I'm pretty sure I would remember that," Percy muttered. Annabeth fought back a laugh.

"I need answers," she said instead, drawing herself up to her full height and looking around at the semicircle of adults. Some primal instinct inside told her that they were much more dangerous than they looked—even the ridiculous woman in pink who was wearing too much makeup. "Who are we? Who are _you_? And why do you even care about us?"

"You're my daughter," the woman with her eyes said immediately. Several of the others turned to stare at her, but she ignored them, her gaze fixed on Annabeth.

Annabeth stared back. There was a ring of truth to her tone, and Annabeth had an inherent willingness to believe her, like an ingrained memory. And it was true that they had the same eyes, and perhaps there was a little bit of her in Annabeth's facial structure. It seemed a little strange to find her mother here, but she could remember almost nothing about her former life, whatever that had been like. A stab of pain shot through her as she realized that this woman could have raised her and cared for her and loved her, and she was treating her like a stranger.

"Mom," Annabeth said carefully. The word felt strange, as if she hadn't used it often. "I don't—I don't even know your name." The words tumbled out of their own accord, and she inwardly winced. She was sure she didn't normally talk without thinking like that.

But the woman—her _mother_ —was smiling. "Athena," she said, and Annabeth waited with a ridiculous, naïve hope for a swirl of memories to attack her upon hearing her mother's name…

Of course, she should have known by then how cruel her amnesia was. It produced nothing.

x

While Annabeth and her lost mother were having an (awkward) reunion, Percy was trying to decide if either of his parents were here. The adults were watching him, he could tell. Their faces were all vaguely familiar; memories brimmed just below the surface of his consciousness, waiting for him like fish waiting for a fisherman. But every time he reached for one, it disappeared, until he doubted he even had any memories left at all.

If Percy had to guess, he'd say his father or relative or something was Poseidon, the one watching him with a look of real concern. It was faintly reassuring to know that at least someone, besides Annabeth, didn't want him dead in this place.

That was when they made eye contact, and something tingled inside Percy's mind; a tingle of familiarity that made him sure that this was his father. Who else could it be? If his strange amnesia had taught him anything in the last few hours, it was that he had to trust his instincts. And those instincts were yelling at him to trust Poseidon. His…father?

"Poseidon," Percy said, and immediately his eyes were searching Percy's hopefully. "Dad?" he said.

The man smiled, a grin that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made Percy instantly like him. "Son," he said with a nod. He looked almost proud, and Percy wondered what he must have done in his old life to have a father like this. Who had he been? What had he done? So many unanswerable questions.

Poseidon turned then to the man who had first addressed Percy, with stormy eyes and a very ornate throne. "Zeus, brother, we should tell them who they are. Who _we_ are."

Percy frowned—he had an uncle?—as Zeus exhaled a deep, rumbling sigh. "Very well," he acquiesced, turning to Percy and Annabeth, who were still standing in the center of the room. "As you have figured out, you are the children of Poseidon and Athena, respectively. You each have one other mortal parent, but Poseidon and Athena are not, in fact, mortal."

Percy laughed derisively. His uncle was nuts. "Not mortal, huh. So, what, you guys are all gods or something?"

The adults exchanged very uncomfortable looks.

The smile was wiped off Percy's face. "Wait a sec. You can't actually be saying…"

"That's impossible!" Annabeth interrupted incredulously.

"But it's true," Athena said with a look in her eye that dared the two to challenge her. "All of us are gods. We are the Olympians."

"….athletes?" Percy offered.

"No," Zeus said, and now he was frowning. "Technically, you have never heard the Greek myths, since you don't remember them, but suffice it to say that all of us were born eons ago, and we have seen many things and acquired many talents and powers. We are not mere humans, but gods."

"Wait, but if you're a god, doesn't that make _me_ a…?" Percy said questioningly.

A man—no, a god—wearing sunglasses and a biker's outfit laughed menacingly. "If you were a god, punk, I'd have beaten you up a long time ago. Nah, you're just a demigod. Half human, half Greek god." He put slight emphasis on the word 'Greek', as if he meant there could be other gods. Percy supposed it was possible, though it was already mind-boggling to try and wrap his head around the fact that there were actual gods, and his dad was one of them.

x

Annabeth's mind was reeling. She had zero memories to fall back on, and so she had no idea how the old Annabeth would have handled this. It went against logic, but she relied on her gut feeling to tell her what to trust. And her gut feeling told her that Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena and all the rest were really gods.

It was strange, but Annabeth had woken up in an unfamiliar place twice today, both times with zero memories (except, of course, those of Percy). She supposed that after fighting off a monster and managing to kill it with no idea how she'd done so, the news she was half-god wasn't all that much.

x

"We should—we should bring them to Sally," Poseidon said after a moment, and his voice caught on the last word. He had tried not to think of Sally Jackson for a long time, but now that Percy and Annabeth were alive and well in front of him, she had to see them. No matter how torn up she'd be about their memory loss.

"Sally?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Yes!" Surprisingly, it was Aphrodite who spoke up. She was positively euphoric, no doubt happy that her OTP was back. Whatever that meant. "Percy's mother! Oh, isn't this little reunion adorable. I wish one of my children had found a mate as good as either of you!" She smiled down at the two skeptical demigods, then started humming to herself. Poseidon recognized it as the latest hit pop song among the mortals and unconsciously started humming it too.

Athena made a harrumphing noise, probably because some of the most powerful gods in the world were now humming an obnoxious mortal song. "All of you! Stop it!" She turned to Percy and Annabeth. They still hadn't released each other's hands yet, and a part of the goddess' heart panged when she thought of what it would be like to have a love like that. Pushing the silly thought aside, she continued, "Wouldn't it be prudent to tell them…more, before they go to Sally?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Just let Percy see his mother," he said.

"Agreed." A smile twisted Hera's lips as she looked at the young demigods.

"We're going to see my mother?" Percy finally spoke up, his eyes full of something like shock. Athena thought with a slight sadness that he really didn't remember Sally Jackson. She might have disliked him at times, but only because he was sea spawn, and she knew how brave and good a woman Sally was. Especially to have produced a son like Percy. First Tartarus, then death, then becoming an amnesiac for a second time…Athena was the goddess of battle as well as wisdom, and she admired the strength it must have taken Percy to pull through, even with one of her own children by his side.

"Yes, you are," Poseidon said, answering his son, his voice pulling Athena back to the present. "Can you—"

It wasn't clear who he was asking, or even what he was asking, but Hermes snapped his fingers. "Consider it done." There was a flash of brilliant light, and the two demigods had disappeared. Athena wondered with a touch of wry amusement if they were sick of gods flashing them around like that.

A silence fell upon the council. Hades went out with a bang—literally—before Zeus could even dismiss the assembly, and the other gods soon followed, Athena among them.

"Well," Zeus said to the empty pavilion, "uh, I guess the council is dismissed…?"

He flashed out.

 **Please, please review! It makes me happy :)**

 **Sidenote: Have any of you read Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes yet? X.x ScissorLuv, my awesome parabatai, got it for me, and it's brilliant! Comment if any of you have it, or have read it :D**


	7. His Mother

**Hey, it's me back with another chapter! I'm so, so sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I've just been super caught up with other things.**

 **Anyway, I know you want me to get on with it, so a quick thank you to everyone for your support, a disclaimer that I only own the plot, and let's move on!**

 **Last chapter:**

 _"_ _We're going to see my mother?" Percy finally spoke up, his eyes full of something like shock. Athena thought with a slight sadness that he really didn't remember Sally Jackson. She might have disliked him at times, but only because he was sea spawn, and she knew how brave and good a woman Sally was. Especially to have produced a son like Percy. First Tartarus, then death, then becoming an amnesiac for a second time…Athena was the goddess of battle as well as wisdom, and she admired the strength it must have taken Percy to pull through, even with one of her own children by his side._

 _"_ _Yes, you are," Poseidon said, answering his son, his voice pulling Athena back to the present. "Can you—"_

 _It wasn't clear who he was asking, or even what he was asking, but_ _Hermes snapped his fingers. "Consider it done." There was a flash of brilliant light, and the two demigods had disappeared. Athena wondered with a touch of wry amusement if they were sick of gods flashing them around like that._

 _A silence fell upon the council. Hades went out with a bang—literally—before Zeus could even dismiss the assembly, and the other gods soon followed, Athena among them._

 _"_ _Well," Zeus said to the empty pavilion, "uh, I guess the council is dismissed…?"_

 _He flashed out._

X

"I am really starting to hate this whole disappearing act the gods have us doing," Percy grumbled to himself.

He and Annabeth were standing in the hallway of what he guessed was an apartment, from the elegant wood paneling and doors lining the walls. The two—demigods, was that what they were called?—were standing right in front of a door that looked identical to every other, but Percy somehow sensed that this was his mother's. His _mother's_. A rush of apprehension ran through him at the thought. Having discovered both of his parents mere hours after waking up an amnesiac was relieving, but nerve-wracking.

Annabeth glanced over at him, and when he didn't move, she reached out and carefully knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice called from inside, and Percy stiffened. A face, and a name, slammed into his memory, fitting like a puzzle piece into the chaos that was his brain. He could _remember_ —if not everything yet, then he could at least remember his mother, and that was good enough for him.

"Mom?" he whispered, Annabeth smiling at him as Sally Jackson opened the door and saw the teenagers standing there.

For a moment, there was only frozen silence. Percy drank in the sight of his mother, who he hadn't seen in what felt like forever, and Sally stared back at her son, who she had been so sure was dead. And Annabeth's eyes brightened at how happy she knew the two of them were about to be, because she'd seen Percy's pain in her memories, and she knew how hard it was to have lost so many memories.

"Percy?" Sally whispered, trembling all over.

"…Mom," Percy said quietly, and suddenly Sally reached forward to pull her son into her arms.

She was crying softly, and Percy blinked hard. "I thought—Chiron told me you were dead. And Annabeth, too," Sally said, smiling through her tears and pulling Annabeth into a one-armed hug. "He said you won the fight against Gaea, but…"

"The Fates brought us back," Percy explained, stepping back. "I don't know why, but they did, and they wiped our memories, too. Except I remember Annabeth, and, well, I guess I remember you, too."

Sally smiled at that, a slow smile that lit up her whole face. "Well, I'm sure there's more to the story, but both of you, come in. I'll make cookies!"

X

A few minutes later, Percy had his hands around a cup of hot chocolate, a plate of familiar blue cookies in front of him. Annabeth was looking around the apartment, and Sally was trying to prod their memories—of her, of their friends, of anything.

"Does the name Camp Half-Blood sound familiar?" she asked, and Percy sucked in a breath. It _sounded_ familiar, as if he'd known it all his life, but he shook his head slightly.

"How about…Piper? Or, or Jason? Hazel? Leo? Frank?"

Percy blinked at the onslaught of names, but it was Annabeth who answered. "Yeah, familiar. It's just that I don't remember anything about them."

Sally's shoulders slumped. "Oh," was all she said, but Percy could see the disappointment in her eyes. It brought back thoughts of a much younger version of him, being scolded with that same look, and he smiled a little at the memory.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"I think I'm remembering things. About you, Mom," Percy added, and saw her frown thoughtfully.

"If you're remembering, by being around me…" Sally took a sip from the cup in her hand. It was a plain white ceramic mug, but Percy _remembered it_ , and so it might as well mean the world to him. "Maybe you should go to Camp Half-Blood," Sally continued eagerly, and Percy looked up. "Maybe then you'll remember everyone."

"Everyone?"

"At camp, everyone knows you two." Sally took another sip from her cup. "But they…they think you're dead."

"Are they our friends?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes. At least, most of them." Sally smiled then, her eyes slightly watery. "Oh, Percy, it's so good to have you back," she said all in a rush. "And you too, Annabeth."

Percy smiled, but his heart felt heavy. Knowing that he had friends waiting for him, friends who thought he was dead, made him feel like a terrible person for not being able to remember them. And judging by the look on Annabeth's face, she felt the same way.

"I want to go see them," Annabeth said after a moment. "Our friends."

"Tomorrow," Sally promised. "It's been a long day, I'm sure, and it's almost dinnertime. Why don't you two stay the night, and I'll drive you to camp in the morning?"

The idea made Percy almost melt with relief. He had woken up hours ago with no notion of who he was, but now he was beginning to find himself again—as cheesy as that sounded. He had Annabeth, his parents, and tomorrow he would find his friends. Things were starting to look up.

 _But what if you never remember your friends?_ a small voice in the back of his head whispered. _What if they don't even want to know you anymore?_

Percy pushed the thought away with an internal growl. He would deal with that later. For now, he would just be grateful for what he had.

Looking around the small kitchen filled to bursting with childhood memories, with Sally bustling around and Annabeth drinking from her cup of hot chocolate, Percy reflected that he had never loved a place as much as he loved this one.


	8. Up The Hill

**I know this chapter is really short and plus I haven't updated in forever, but life's gotten in the way. I'm already in a crap mood right now, ha, so I figured that I'd give you lot this now, and write another one very soon. Thanks, to everyone and anyone who's still sticking with this.**

Percy discovered that sleeping was hard.

Even with Annabeth curled up against his side, an oddly familiar cracked ceiling above him and a comforting pillow under his head, he couldn't get anywhere close to sleep. It had been almost an hour since Sally had sent the two of them to bed, making Percy feel rather like a five-year-old—although, Percy thought glumly, a five-year-old would probably have found it much easier to fall asleep.

The first five minutes of lying next to Annabeth in bed had been awkward, but when it smoothed out into a comfortable silence, Percy had been hopeful that he'd have company on this sleepless night. Unluckily for him, Annabeth had fallen asleep after barely ten minutes, leaving him to roll onto his back, careful not to dislodge the arm she had thrown over his torso, and try in vain to fall asleep.

It made sense that when he finally did, it was into a world of hellish nightmares.

He dreamed of a dark abyss with red smoke curling up from its depths; of a dark-robed figure and pairs of shadowy horses; of himself, drunk on power, and Annabeth's terrified eyes staring up at him. He dreamed of all these things and more, until someone finally shook him awake.

"Percy!" It was Annabeth, still gripping his shoulder when he blinked drowsy eyes open.

He managed to grunt something in response, squinting through rays of sunlight that were pouring in through the window. "You were making noises in your sleep." Annabeth studied him in that way of hers, the way that made him feel like she could see right through him. He'd always loved that about her.

"Just dreaming," Percy managed to say, rubbing gunk out of his eyes and carefully avoiding his girlfriend's face, sure he had a horrific case of morning breath. It really wasn't fair that even with ratty pajamas and a slightly hazy stare in her gray eyes, Annabeth still looked as pretty as ever.

As always, Percy was saved from further awkwardness by Sally, calling down the hall—"Percy, Annabeth! Rise and shine, you two!"

"Breakfast!" Percy could physically feel how happy the thought of his mom's amazing pancakes made him. Specifically, his stomach. "Annabeth, you gotta try my mom's stuff."

"Yeah." Annabeth grinned. "I think…" A look of wonder crossed her face. "Percy, I think I remember it."

"You do?" Percy asked, finally mustering up enough motivation to get his butt out of bed and wander off to the bathroom.

"Do you think we'll ever remember everything?" Annabeth asked tentatively as she followed him.

Percy swung around to face her. "If we're lucky."

"Not that we've ever been lucky."

A few seconds passed before they both burst out laughing.

* * *

An hour later saw the duo sitting in Sally Jackson's car, a place that felt familiar but held no real memories for Percy. Frustratingly, that had all but become his mantra since he'd awoken an amnesiac.

But he had more pressing concerns on his mind at the moment; his entire stomach was full of what felt less like butterflies and more like swooping, fire-breathing dragons at the thought of returning to Camp Half-Blood. Sally had told him a thousand times already that everyone there loved him and Annabeth, but that didn't stifle the anxiety bubbling inside him. No matter how much the people at camp had once liked him, he had been literally dead. How would they react to his being alive?

Annabeth was nervous, too. She was doing a good job of hiding it, but Percy could feel the ever-so-slight movements she made whenever she shifted position beside him. Trees, houses and other cars blurred by outside the window, and every mile that passed made Percy's stomach clench all the tighter.

"I don't even remember them, Mom," he said at last, when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"I'm sure you will, you've been through a lot together."

"Really? But what if they don't want to—"

"Don't fret so much, Percy, you'll be fine." Sally flashed her son a smile in the rear view mirror, and he nodded determinedly to himself. It was just his friends, after all, not some monster like the one he'd battled yesterday. Like the kind he had apparently battled every day, once. He kept his mother's words bouncing around in his mind— _I'm sure you will. You've been through a lot together._

Percy couldn't have had that thought any sooner, because Sally had stopped the car.

"There's nothing here," Annabeth said as she got out.

"Look up the hill," was all Sally said, and that was when they heard the noise. Metal clinking, people yelling, and the occasional raucous burst of laughter; the sounds of a summer camp if there ever was one.

Comforted by the reassurance that there were, in fact, people here, Percy was about to head toward the source of all the noise when he looked back at his mother. "You aren't coming?"

Sally smiled, a little sadly. "I don't think I belong up there. Go, meet your friends."

Percy studied the horizon of the hill up ahead. Something inside him said that he'd fought bigger battles than this, so he squared his shoulders and began the walk up.

And as always, Annabeth was by his side.


	9. Double Takes

**I'm so sorry, I can never update when I promise I will! But luckily, this chapter is pretty long to make up for it :)**

 **Quick note: I don't remember much of the layout, etc. of CHB, so I'll just take artistic license and make it really artsy xD After all, it all belongs to the awesome Uncle Rick anyway.**

When Percy finally crested the top of the hill, he saw _everything_ —and oh, how the memories came flowing back.

There was a group of cabins nestled off to one side, glimmering as they caught the sunlight. If Percy squinted, he could make out the colors: red, blue, a green one that made his heart jump, and a black one that looked surprisingly unwelcoming, even in broad daylight. Names jumped into his mind with each cabin his eyes passed over, and it made him feel almost dizzy with giddiness at how much he was recalling. Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, and all their children; and suddenly even more names were crowding his head, along with a horde of faces that he could suddenly remember again.

Then Percy's gaze caught the towering white pavilion off to the right, and he took an involuntary step forward. The mess hall was where all his friends would be now, surely, and although memories of food and blue drinks and laughing demigods were parading before his mind's eye, he thought that he must be forgetting someone important, for there was a residual hole in his memories still. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite place whoever it was he had yet to remember, so Percy shook the thought off and turned to face Annabeth. She, too, was staring at the camp that sprawled below them, her gray eyes scanning the area with awe.

Percy was about to say something when there was a thud, and he turned.

A little ways down the hill stood two boys, who could have passed as twins, they looked so alike. One of them, who was slightly taller than the other, had dropped the sword he'd been carrying, which now lay in the grass between them. They were also both wearing what looked like armor, but the single strangest thing about them was that when they said as one, " _Percy?_ ", he actually remembered them.

"Connor? Travis?"

"The Stolls." This was Annabeth, who smiled slowly. "Travis and Connor."

And then Percy was being slapped heartily on the back, and Annabeth was laughing; Travis and Connor looked downright ecstatic. "Everyone thought you were dead!" Connor exclaimed, but that sentence brought down the euphoric mood. "Everyone thought you were dead," he repeated grimly, stepping back and examining the pair. "What happened? How did you survive?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks. "It's a long story," the former admitted, feeling his chest tighten. "Maybe later."

This time it was Travis who answered. "Okay." With a sincere smile, he added, "I can't believe you two are really back. We've missed you."

"Did you burn our shrouds?" Annabeth asked with almost professional curiosity as she and Percy fell into step beside the Stolls, heading down the hill.

"Yeah," Connor said softly. "A while ago. Where—where have you two been?"

"Like I said, it's a long…" Percy trailed off, because they had reached the bottom of the hill, and people were beginning to notice.

First there were the stares and double-takes of the demigods Percy knew he didn't know, the ones who had come while he'd been away. (He thought that calling it 'being away' was better than calling it 'being dead'.) And then there were the gasps and startled looks from people Percy was beginning to recognize. People stopped what they were doing to stare, and he bit his lip nervously as the Stolls led them further toward the mess hall. There was laughing and chatting coming from it, the roaring noise that was unique to groups of young people. And all the demigods there were about to meet him and Annabeth again.

As if sensing his growing discomfort, Connor glanced at him and offered a reassuring smile. "Travis and I will go in first," he suggested.

Annabeth nodded, and Percy waited with her just beyond the entrance to the mess hall. No one could see them from here; it was safer that way.

At first there was no change in the sounds coming from the mess hall; Percy imagined Travis and Connor conferring with Chiron. It couldn't have been more than a minute before Chiron's voice rang out above the hubbub. "Demigods!" he called, and the noise died down to low murmurs. "Travis and Connor have something to say," the centaur went on—and that was when Percy realized that though he had not consciously noticed it, he _remembered_ Chiron, and easily. Were his memories finally coming back?

"We have a guest," Travis said. "Actually, two."

"Just…let them explain everything," Connor added.

The murmurs rose in volume as Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other, then walked into the mess hall.

As one, the camp quieted, until you could have heard a pin drop. There was scarcely a breath to be heard as the two demigods faced a sea of staring, incredulous faces, and one frozen centaur at its head.

Then, everyone moved.

Someone shouted, "Percy!", and then everyone was running, jumping out of their seats and crowding closer and yelling and crying and screaming and laughing all at once. "Percy, Annabeth," people kept saying, and suddenly everyone wanted to touch him, reaching out and pressing in. He was overwhelmed, feeling like it was too hard to breathe, but at the same time he never wanted to leave the crushing embrace of these people. _His_ people.

It felt like coming home.

"Percy," a different voice said, a familiar one.

He turned to see a girl with mousy brown hair and dangerous eyes, and he smiled as her name came to him. "Clarisse."

She squeezed his arm until it felt like she was going to break all the bones in it. "Where have you _been_?"

Percy hesitated. "Dead."

It was clear that she didn't believe him, but she patted his shoulder anyway. "We wondered where you were, punk."

"Glad to know you worried," he replied, and the shadow of a smile crossed her face before she turned away.

When everyone had finally had their fill of endless noise and saying their names over and over again, they quieted slightly, and Chiron rose out of nowhere, directly in front of Percy and Annabeth. His face was impassive as he stared at them, and the two lost demigods stared back.

"It is good to have you home again," he said before breaking into a genuine smile.

People cheered more, until Chiron added, "But how?"

Low murmurs spread through the crowd; that was the question everyone wanted to know the answer to.

It was Annabeth who replied. "We were dead."

"You don't come _back_ ," more than a few people began whispering. Percy could practically feel the rumors circulating around his head—he had dealt with Hades himself! He had heroically performed a myth-worthy deed! The demigods were going to get the story wrong if he didn't clear it up.

"We were brought back." The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I don't know who did it, or how, but they brought us back. And without most of our memories."

The questions that came next weren't what he was expecting. Two words swelled in volume and came to perch gently in Percy's ears: "The Seven."

"Someone get the Seven." "The Seven is complete again." "It's not just five anymore." " _Seven_."

"Who—what are you talking about?" Annabeth asked, and that was when everyone turned disbelieving eyes on them.

"You don't remember?!" "They don't remember!" "No wonder the others stayed out of this, they didn't want to believe it." "They're still in their cabins?" "They'll be crushed."

Percy sorted through the sentences tumbling around his head with confusion. "Who are you _talking_ about?"

"Percy…" Chiron was standing farther back now, frowning incredulously. "Someone get the other five," he directed to the people at large. "They need to be here."

Annabeth looked as puzzled as Percy was feeling. There was so _much_ going on it made his head hurt.

Then the world slowed to a stop. Or, at least, it seemed like it did.

Five people were standing at the entrance to the mess hall. A blond boy, holding hands with a brunette girl; a shorter girl with wildly curling hair, standing beside a tall Asian kid; and a short Latino kid who was currently the most surprised expression Percy had ever seen on anyone. But by far, the strangest thing about these kids was that they made his heart _tug_. He'd always thought that heartbreak was a metaphorical thing, but his heart was panging with something that demanded his brain recognize them. It hadn't even been like this for his own mother; these demigods felt like they fitted into the great puzzle piece that was him.

But he couldn't even remember their names.

Perhaps that was visible from his expression, because when the brunette girl said his name, she sounded quiet…lost. "Do you remember us?" she asked tentatively.

When Percy half-whispered, "I wish I did," he would rather have been stabbed in the arm than have to bear the looks on their faces.


	10. Get to Know You Again

"Piper!"

She looked up to see someone standing in the doorway of the Aphrodite cabin; it was Dean, son of Apollo, a kid she didn't know too well but liked nonetheless. "Yeah?" she asked, getting up off her bed.

Dean suddenly looked a little shifty. Running a hand through his brown hair, he said quietly, "There's something you probably want to see."

"...What?" Piper didn't like the way Dean was looking at her, almost like he pitied her. And the swell of noise from the mess hall, faintly audible from where she stood, only added to her sense of foreboding.

"It's about Percy and Annabeth," Dean finally said, the names dropping straight into her stomach and making her gut twist. When she raised an eyebrow for him to continue, he looked her square in the eye and said, "They're back."

Piper froze. Everything froze. Dean kept talking, but she wasn't paying attention. _That's not possible_ , she thought. _Dean's lying. They can't be back_.

"Piper, are you even listening?" the other demigod said irritably, forcing her to look at him. "I'm serious. They crossed the border and the Stolls found them. I didn't believe it either, but—"

"You're trying to tell me Percy and Annabeth are back from the dead?" Piper interrupted incredulously. "And you expect me to believe you?"

"You don't have to," Dean said, meeting her gaze coolly. "But there's no harm in going to see, is there?"

Piper's heart clenched. She didn't want to believe Dean Winchester. Was she a demigod? Yes. Had she seen stranger things than people coming back from the dead? Of course. But she had spent weeks trying to accept the fact that Percy and Annabeth were gone; she didn't know how to deal with the news that they were, apparently, back. From the dead.

"I'll go." The words jumped out of her mouth before she even knew she was saying them. "Just to see how wrong you are."

Dean shrugged, like he knew he was right no matter what she said.

Absently combing one hand through her hair, Piper glanced at the boy now leaning against her doorframe. "Could you...give me a second?"

Dean dipped his head. "I'll be at the mess hall if you need me." Flashing her a smile, he left. And the second he did, Piper let out a breath, turning to stare into the mirror hanging on her wall. What was she supposed to do? _Mom_ , she prayed, _you're the goddess of love. I know you don't specialize in romantic love, but I love my friends. I could do with some advice. Or something._

Hoping to all Hades that this would work out, Piper gave herself a mental boost of confidence before heading out the door.

The sky was clear, a gorgeous shade of calm blue that belied the fire-breathing drakons currently inhabiting Piper's stomach. There was no one else around, and it became clear why the closer she got to the mess hall. There was so much noise coming from it that it wasn't hard to believe the entire camp was there.

"Hey!"

She whirled around, only to see Jason jogging toward her from behind. His hair was slightly mussed, like he'd just woken up. "Hey."

"Are you going too?"

His voice was soft, and Piper swallowed as she slowed to a walk, falling into step beside her boyfriend. "Yeah."

"For Percy and Annabeth's sakes, I hope they're really there," he admitted.

She voiced the thought that had been bouncing around in her head ever since Dean had appeared in her cabin. "I don't know what I'm going to do if it's just a giant prank, or something."

"Pipes, everyone loves Annabeth and Percy. They wouldn't do something like that." Jason took her hand in his for a moment, squeezing it gently as they approached the entrance to the mess hall. Piper could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest as she tried to quell her nerves.

Leo, Frank and Hazel were standing just in front of them, and all three of them turned around when Piper and Jason made their presence known. "Yo, Pipes," Leo said, and Frank and Hazel had similar greetings. They all looked nervous, and Piper knew why.

"Let's just go in," Hazel said finally—and that was when they all heard it. 'It' being a voice none of them had heard in months that had felt like years. 'It' being a voice that they had all heard scream battle cries, tell jokes, and laugh with them.

'It' being Percy Jackson's voice. No one could fake that.

Piper was still holding Jason's hand, and so when she burst forward into the hall, she dragged Jason with her. The others all followed close behind, but she was barely aware of them all fanning out into a line to face the crowd of demigods, because her entire focus was on what she could see before her.

The gathered group of people blurred into nothingness as she stared. Black hair, lanky figure, skater-boy-pose. Blonde curls pressing into his side. These two were imprinted in her mind, figures in her nightmares, residents of her dreams. They haunted her like no one else did, because they were two of her closest friends. Percy and Annabeth.

She must have said something, because everyone turned to look at her—at them. Now Percy and Annabeth were facing her, and she wanted to cry. They looked the same as they always had. Maybe a few months older, maybe a little more tired, but they were still looked like they always had. Piper's mind was whirling as she desperately tried to process this, as she tried to wrap her head around the fact that she had been mourning in vain all this time.

But there was something in their expressions that gave her pause. Percy's gaze was curious, but only politely so. Annabeth was studying her with her trademark piercing stare. Neither of them looked like they so much as remembered her name.

That was when a horrifying scenario occurred to the daughter of Aphrodite, and she viciously shoved the thought away the moment it coalesced. No, that can't be right. They remember me. Of course they do. They're okay, they're here, they're real.

What Piper wanted to say was something emotional, something deep, something to show how much she'd missed her best friends, but what came out was, "Do you remember us?"

Percy blinked slowly, eyes closing for a second longer than normal as he said, so quietly Piper almost missed it, "I wish I did."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that overcame the demigods then.

"Oh my gods," someone whispered. It took Piper a second to realize that it was her. She felt like she wasn't even in control of her own faculties anymore, because she had no idea why she kept saying and doing the things she was. All she felt capable of doing was staring mutely at her two lost friends.

"Annabeth?" Frank entreated slowly. Annabeth, who had helped him with those Chinese handcuffs all that time ago. Annabeth, the smartest of the Seven. And, of course, their best friend.

Her eyes slid slowly to Frank, but she said nothing as her eyes continued searching out all of the Seven's faces. "I know you guys," she said confidently. "I just—"

"—can't remember our names?" Piper said hopefully. A little desperately, actually.

"That's not it." For a blissful second it was just like the old days; Annabeth tilted her head and considered before shaking her head. Her blonde curls even bounced the same way they always had as she said, "I just know I know you, that's all."

"Me too," Percy put in. "I'd…I'd like to get to know you guys again."

For the first time, something like happiness flickered inside Piper as she grinned. But it was Leo who answered. "That would be nice."

"Welcome back," Piper offered. When Percy tentatively smiled back, delight twisted in her stomach.

"Yeah," Nico said from behind her, and he was smiling the widest she'd ever seen him when she turned around to look. "Welcome back."

 **I know there wasn't much action in this chapter, not that there's much action in any chapter, but bear with me! I have things in store for next time :]**

 **P.S: If you got my ridiculous reference in this chapter, I will dedicate the next chapter to you.**


	11. Trouble at the Border

**Wow, it has definitely been a while. Anyone still following this story knows how terrible I am at updating! I really will try to update sooner next time. Anyway, this (late) chapter is dedicated to rhig122 and What About Yesterday for catching the Dean reference, as well as to the guest who really wanted this dedication, haha. There will be more notes at the end of this chapter, but yeah, I'll stop talking now.**

Jason was surprised by how easy it was.

Even though all of Camp Half-Blood had been seemingly in a state of shock ever since Percy and Annabeth's—departure, and it had only been a few days since their return, everyone seemed to be in better spirits. A monster that had been plaguing the camp relentlessly for weeks was finally hunted down and killed; the youngest of the Athena cabin no longer had nightmares about their half-sister; and best of all, the Seven was reunited.

For some reason, it was easy. It did get awkward on occasion, like when Jason mentioned Camp Jupiter and had to spend the next hour explaining the Roman gods to his amnesiac friends, but for the most part, Percy was the same fun person he'd always been, and Annabeth quickly warmed up to her old friends enough to treat them like she always had. The Seven fought off monsters, sang songs around the campfire and sparred, laughing all the while: it felt almost unreal to Jason to see this side of Camp Half-Blood. Everything seemed to have finally fallen into place, especially with a happy Piper by his side.

Of course, it wouldn't last. With the combined bad luck of the Seven, Jason was almost surprised his newfound joy hadn't been wrecked sooner.

It started on what otherwise was a normal sunny morning, Jason snatching up his coin and heading out of his cabin to the drowsy sounds of the rest of camp awakening. His time with first Lupa, then Camp Jupiter, had instilled in him a habit of waking up early, and he usually spent his time in the mornings sparring or eating an early breakfast.

At least, he did, on mornings when there wasn't a gang of Laistrygonian giants trying to sneak into Camp Half-Blood.

Jason did a double take when he saw them, but managed to regain his wits enough to flip his coin hurriedly and shout for help. He was so confused as to how they had gotten into camp that he almost didn't see the giant iron club swinging directly for his head; luckily, he rolled out of the way with a yell of surprise and stabbed the stupid brute in the arm.

The Laistrygonian howled as demigods came stumbling out of their cabins, Jason sparing a glance toward them to see that most were already running toward him, yelling death threats and waving swords bravely despite their pyjama-clad states. Three of the giants lumbered toward the demigods, leaving two of them, including the one Jason had stabbed, to grunt incoherently and stagger toward the suddenly terrified son of Jupiter.

"NOT SO FAST, YA CRAZY SLUGS!" a familiar voice hollered, and Jason felt relief run through his whole body as backup arrived, in the form of a peppy, absolutely-beautiful-even-though-she-had-clearly-just-woken-up daughter of Aphrodite. Flashing him a grin, she ducked and dodged through the Laistrygonians, stabbing and slashing as they turned around in fruitless circles and yelled. Jason helped by waving his arms and distracting them, feeling ridiculously proud of his girlfriend as she quickly had the Laistrygonians practically incapacitated.

Percy jogged up to them a few seconds later, Riptide in his hand and a familiar perplexed expression on his face. Stabbing one of the giants almost casually in the chest—Jason reminded himself to never get on the son of Poseidon's bad side—Percy turned to Jason and asked, "How the Hades did they get in here?"

"I don't know," he replied helplessly, as Piper finished off the last giant. Annabeth came up to Percy's side, doing her hair into a ponytail, and listened as Jason explained everything he knew about what had happened. Admittedly, it wasn't much.

"We should go help with the other three," Piper offered, but the other demigods seemed to have them pretty much in hand. Jason flipped his sword back into a coin and pocketed it, spotting Leo, Hazel and Frank among the throng of worried demigods and making a beeline for them. The significance of what had happened began to worry Jason as he approached his friends; even he, a thoroughly Roman demigod, knew how protected Camp Half-Blood was supposed to be. What had happened?

"What is going _on_?" Leo demanded as soon as Jason got within earshot of him. "I need my beauty sleep, you know!"

"I heard there were Laistrygonians here," Hazel said, her tongue stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar word. "But I thought—"

"—that camp was protected," Annabeth finished, joining their little group. "You're right, it is. At least, it's supposed to be."

"We're having a meeting in the mess hall," Frank interrupted to offer.

The demigods exchanged shrugs before following the rapidly-growing crowd of demigods to the mess hall. It was almost time for the conch shell to go off and signify the beginning of the morning, but everyone was already awake and confused. Jason heard snippets of troubled conversations as he and his friends made their way into the mess hall. Gradually, though, the babble died down, and everyone found their seats as Chiron raised a hand for silence.

"I am sure you are all wondering what has happened," Chiron began. "That is a question I'd also like answered, especially since it should not have been possible for monsters to pass the camp's borders." Fresh murmurs broke out at that, and Chiron didn't even bother trying to quiet them as he gave Jason a solemn look. People pointed and whispered ("Lucy said Jason called for help!" "Why's he looking at Jason?" "Did Jason _let them in_?"), causing the demigod in question to shift uncomfortably as Chiron finally managed to shush the babble. "Jason, you were the first to see the monsters," Chiron pointed out. "Tell us the story."

 _Again?_ Jason thought, but obliged. "I was up early, like usual, and I was going to head to the mess hall when I noticed the Laistrygonians. There were five of them, trying to sneak past my cabin." Demigods were still talking under their breaths about him, and he scrambled to regain his thoughts before continuing. "I called for help and, well, you know the rest."

"Interesting," Chiron murmured, and held up a hand again for the demigods to be quiet. "I called you all here because I felt it was long overdue that all of you, especially the newer camp members among you, knew about the nature of our borders. Camp Half-Blood is protected by a magical border that is enhanced by the strength of the Golden Fleece, but there is a condition to it." Jason had never heard of a flaw in the Greek camp's borders, and so he listened curiously as Chiron bowed his head slightly, as if preparing himself to deliver bad news. Then again, he probably was.

"As long as I have been director of Camp Half-Blood, there has been a magical border of protection around the camp, put in place by, of all gods, Hera." The low mutters of the demigods swelled to almost yelling, clear incredulity written on everyone's faces, and Jason actually sat back a little, he was so surprised. This was as new to him as it was to everyone else. _You learn something new every day, he thought wryly._

"Why didn't you _tell_ us?" several people began asking, Annabeth among them, Jason noticed.

Chiron looked weary, but he had everyone's full attention as he continued. "It is an old memory, one even I had forgotten about until now, but Hera was struck by a moment of sympathy for the demigods to be trained here and decided to put down a barrier, to prevent careless humans from wandering in and monsters from attacking us. But she is Hera, and she cautioned Dionysus and I that if any of the campers were to ever make and then break a promise to a god, the barrier would fall until that god saw fit to reinstate it."

Annabeth actually stood up this time. "Does that mean someone here broke a promise to a god?"

Jason mentally ran through all the demigods he knew from his short time at CHB, but none of them seemed particularly inclined to make, let alone break, promises to deities. "Percy's made promises to gods, hasn't he?" one of the Hermes campers asked rather loudly.

"I don't remember," Percy admitted.

"But he hasn't _broken_ any," Piper said, equally loudly.

"Children," Chiron called over the hubbub, and eventually people quieted down a little. Jason himself hadn't said anything yet, too keen on listening to the old centaur's words. "The war on Gaea was rife with troublesome encounters with gods and other immortal beings. The nature of his camp's magical barriers was never an issue before, but now…" Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "If any of you at all know what could have caused this, please let me know. Dismissed."

The noise grew to a roar as demigods anxiously discussed the war, gods, and any demigods who could have potentially caused such a disaster, but Jason had just gotten to his feet when a terrible, terrible thought struck him. He remembered standing in a whirling ocean with Percy, facing a sea goddess named Kymopoleia. He remembered promising to build her a shrine (and action figures). He remembered the oaths he had made her, and how he had been so happy after Gaea's defeat that he had never again given it any thought.

Jason's heart dropped into his feet, and he felt a sudden urge to burst into tears.

 **Well then. This fanfiction now suddenly aligns with Blood of Olympus (but not Trials of Apollo)! Like I said: action is finally happening. Thanks for reading! Review pretty please!**

 **PS: I completely made up the stuff about CHB's borders, and I don't think it's ever mentioned if Jason fulfilled his promise, but it makes for a good plot nonetheless. Creative license, am I right?**


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